It is well known to protect articles and equipment from earthquake damage by using seismic anchoring devices, tie-downs, hold-downs, mooring apparatus, displacement limiting devices, and the like. In fact, the prior art is so replete with seismic protection devices that it would require volumes simply to catalogue them all. Many are directed to reinforcing and securing structures and providing increased structural support for expensive material, equipment, and furnishings, or to prevent structural damage from structural mechanical damage (seismic straps for securing water heaters, for example). A few prior art devices are illustrative of art in field analogous to that of the present invention. Among them:
U.S. Pat. No. 6,349,906 to Anderson, discloses an earthquake-proof beverage bottle support and storage structure adapted to be fastened to a building wall, or other support structure, for securing a bottled beverage container holder and dispenser above a floor, including a shelf for supporting a bottled beverage container holder and dispenser, at least three legs secured to the shelf extending above and below the shelf for supporting the shelf above a floor, and straps with interlocking buckles for securing the beverage bottle to the support system to restrict horizontal movement between the shelf and the beverage bottle. The entire structure can be secured to a wall, or other support structure, by fasteners, or additional straps. Additional shelves and straps can be added to provide storage for additional bottles, whether full or empty.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,050,538 to Marrow et al., teaches a restraint system and method for protecting at wine barrels in a barrel stack against earthquake damage. The stack includes a plurality of modules and each of the modules has a top rack, at least one intermediate rack and a bottom rack and at least one barrel on each of the racks. The barrel restraint system comprises a restraining mechanism operably engaged to at least the top barrels in the module at the top of the barrel stack for restraining the top barrels within the top module. Typically each module contains at least two barrels and the restraining means restrains all of the top barrels, because by restraining all of the top barrels and only the top barrels within the top module, the top barrels will be protected from being ejected from the top rack. All of the remaining barrels in the intermediate and bottom racks may be protected without the use of the restraining means due to the overburden weight of the barrels stacked above.
The foregoing patents reflect the current state of the art of which the present inventor is aware. Reference to, and discussion of, these patents is intended to aid in discharging Applicant's acknowledged duty of candor in disclosing information that may be relevant to the examination of claims to the present invention. However, it is respectfully submitted that none of the above-indicated patents disclose, teach, suggest, show, or otherwise render obvious, either singly or when considered in combination, the invention described and claimed herein.